Mega phone boosts CKC information access

The right to information enables individuals to have access to all kinds of information and knowledge needed in there day today lives. The Lukwanga ckc provides general and basic information which information is always available within communities but not known and utilized both within and outside these communities. Access to information not only from public domain but also private domains empowers people to take informed choices. Lukwanga ckc provides access to community development information which is a fundamental cause for many people living in the 21st century where the world is becoming a global village. With the support from the Rotary Club of Kampala central and Rotarian Patrick Kunobwa in particular, Lukwanga community knowledge centre is now ‘live on air’ sharing local information around the villages within the proximity of Lukwanga parish. The centre easily receives and share updates from around with the help of the megaphone facility all day long. Any one from within and around Lukwanga and wakiso is free and invited to join us in a spirit of collaboration by utilizing the mega phone facility to reach out information to any part of the village within Lukwanga parish and also send content and news to whoever and wherever you can within wakiso given that information has unlimited boundaries. With the support from the Rotary Club of Kampala central and Rotarian Patrick Kunobwa in particular, Lukwanga community knowledge centre is now ‘live on air’ sharing local information around the villages within the proximity of Lukwanga parish. The centre easily receives and share updates from around with the help of the megaphone facility all day long. Any one from within and around Lukwanga and wakiso is free and invited to join us in a spirit of collaboration by utilizing the mega phone facility to reach out information to any part of the village within Lukwanga parish and also send content and news to whoever and wherever you can within wakiso given that information has unlimited boundaries.

http://cms.iucn.org/knowledge/news/newsletters/cmc/march_2012.cfm

http://cms.iucn.org/knowledge/news/newsletters/cmc/march_2012.cfm

CKC hosts US Bold Leaders food fellows in Lukwanga

International community organizers, BoldLeaders teamed up with Growing Power (US), the Mazingira Institute, and Environmental Alert to carry out a partnership arrangement to share and learn experiences in urban agriculture and food security. The partnership between the collaborating professionals in Uganda, Kenya teamed up with the United States’ department focusing on food security as it relates to urban and peri-urban agriculture.

The opportunity is to facilitate a two-way exchange between the African countries (Uganda and Kenya) and the U.S. to improve food security as it relates to the social, cultural, political, and economic factors in food production, equitable distribution, and non-degradable environmental practices.

Environmental Alert as one of the international organizers of the fellowship program hosted a team of fellows on an exchange program in Uganda. The visit was an amazing learning and experience sharing for us. Lukwanga was one of the hosting venues where the fellows were hosted for a 2 day’s sharing session at the Lukwanga community knowledge centre (CKC). Great thanks to Dara Cooper and Joseph Adamji for sharing their experiences with the communities of Lukwanga. Dara and John really shared the American experiences with our community in Lukwanga. With less doubt, their experiences will inform a basis for the future development of the resource centre.

Many thanks to Bold Leaders Exchange program.

Treating malaria locally in Lukwanga

Malaria, a mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite has been historically a very serious health problem in Uganda. Currently it accounts for 24-40% of all out patient visits at health facilities and 20% of hospital admissions (Ministry of health Uganda National Malaria Control Policy, 2000).

The common signs and symptoms of simple malaria are fever, headache, joint pains, muscle ache, sweating, vomiting and loss of appetite.

This article represents simple recipes of preparing local herbs for malaria treatment in the rural areas in Uganda.

In most of the rural areas, the first action taken when malaria is suspected is treating the sick person at home. Treating of sick person in most rural homes in Uganda involves the use of traditional medicines. People that normally use these medicines usually do so because it’s cheap and within reach, reducing the consequence of cost and distance. Commonly used traditional herbs include ‘Mululuza” (Vernonia amygodalina), “Neem-tree” (Azedaract indica), “Nyambala butonya” (Callistemon citranatus) and ‘Ekigajji’. All these plants, the most commonly used plant parts are the leaves. Water is the most common solvent and the oral route is the most commonly used.

ALIN IS ACCESS TO LEARNING AWARD WINNER 2011

Each year the BILL AND MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION through their foundation's Global Libraries initiative, the Access to Learning Award (ATLA) recognizes the innovative efforts of public libraries or similar organizations outside the United States to connect people to information through free access to computers and the Internet.

Join me to congratulate ALIN that promotes information exchange through maarifa centres, for winning the 2011 Access to learning Award . Follow this link to get more information about this award http://www.gatesfoundation.org/ATLA/Pages/access-to-learning-award-overview.aspx

HEALTH TIP, AIDS DISEASE!

Introduction

Uganda is estimated to have a population of about 25-30 million in 2002 - 2007. The extreme mortality of AIDS victims has had an effect on this figure, which would otherwise be higher. As another consequence of AIDS, healthy life expectancy in Uganda is only around 50 years.

People have been warned about HIV and AIDS for over twenty years now. AIDS has already killed millions of people, millions more continue to become infected with HIV, and there's no cure– so AIDS will be around for a while yet. Read more lukwanga2011@gmail.com/docs

BANANA BACTERIAL WILT (BBW)

Introduction
Banana Bacterial wilt (BBW) caused by xanthromonas campetris PV musacrearum is a new banana disease that Started in Mukono District in central Uganda (Mukono District) in September 2001. Until recently this little known disease was reported only in Ethiopia where affects young and occasionally mature cultivated bananas. In Uganda, BBW has been observed in nearly all cultivated banana varieties causing wilting of plants at all ages. When plants are affected at fruiting stage, bunches ripen pre-maturely with reddish brown discoloration in banana fingers. Male buds also wither off. The fruits in affected plants cannot be eaten by both man and animals. for example the disease in Uganda has caused damage to both kayinja (beer banana) and matooke. It currently affects 27 districts in Uganda, mainly to the north and east of Kampala, including Wakiso, Mukono and Kampala city. In each district the infection is localized, however the disease is rapidly filling the gaps. Its geographical spread it is rapid and it will reach the southern and western districts if not controlled.